Review by: Justin Amirkhani

Magic the Gathering is the ‘Madden’ of trading card games. A new core set releases every year with only minor adjustments and hardcore players will repeatedly reinvest in the game. When Wizards of the Coast released Duels of the Planeswalkers for XBLA and PC last year it looked like there might be a place in the Magic landscape for casual players who don’t want to buy new cards every year. Enter Duels of the Planeswalkers 2012.

In addition to a series of small mechanical changes that mirror the recent adjustments to the card version, Magic 2012 features a remarkable interface refinement that streamlines the entire experience. In a game that’s ultimately about navigation, this enhancement goes a long way. Making the game easier to navigate makes it easier to understand and easier to play, not to mention more attractive.

At its heart, Duels of the Planeswalkers is still trying to deliver the core Magic mechanics in a simple to understand format. Like the last game, the decks included don’t really stray from basic concepts and this might leave more advanced players a little bored. It’s still fun playing with the well-balanced prefabs, but things do get tiring without more gimmicky mechanics.

The addition of Archenemy multiplayer offers an online co-op experience that feels fresh and truly different from the core game. This game is the first time players have been able to team-up against a single computer player and the experience is intense. With a deck full of overpowered Archenemy cards the villain player gets incredible bonuses that make them difficult to beat, even when it is 3-on-1. It can be challenging, but the resulting camaraderie and genuine sense of triumph is worth the effort.

Two-Headed Giant is back from last year, except now it no longer requires both players to play split-screen. Online partnerships can now be made and players have the opportunity to work as one over the internet. It’s a huge improvement and makes the mode infinitely more playable, if only for logistical reasons.

The introduction of the game sets the stage for an epic narrative with a grand cinematic of moving paintings, but the rest of the game barely offers any exposition on the plot. Like the TCG, Duels of the Planeswalkers lets the stories exist in the players’ heads with glimpses of a fictional canon sprinkled through card artwork and flavor text.